Oxford United 2-0 Northampton Town

Two goals in two minutes at the end of the first half helped Oxford to their first home win since August, with James Constable instrumental in both. First he charged through on goal to finish off a wonderful team move and then he earned a penalty, which was dispatched by Danny Rose. United looked comfortable throughout and move onto next week's trip to basement side Accrington full of confidence.

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PREVIEW: Northampton Home (12/10/13)

This Saturday offers another chance to end what has been a miserable run of form at home as struggling Northampton come to town. Tuesday's JPT defeat to Portsmouth was our third consecutive defeat at the Kassam and debate over the club's home form has raged (including on this site with two articles here and here).

Typically, the Cobblers, who have started the season limply and currently find themselves second bottom in the table, picked up their first away points of the season last weekend with a 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon. And having struggled to keep the goals out in the opening stages of the season Northampton have followed up their first clean sheet of the season a fortnight ago with another shutout last weekend, so it's not going to be easy to break them down – something we have notoriously struggled to do at home. One piece of welcome news is the doubtful fitness of Chris Hackett, a familiar face after spending the first six years of his career here.

More welcome news comes from the Oxford camp, with the surprisingly quick return to form of Jake Wright and Andy Whing's return from suspension. That should cause a nice dilemma for Chris Wilder, with Michael Raynes filling in admirably in the centre of defence while the captain was out and an encouraging performance in the middle of the park from Josh Ruffels during the week. The only long-term absentee now is Jon Meades, who is still yet to make his competitive debut and is set to miss a further three months of football after an operation during the week.

It's crucial that we don't concede the first goal this weekend as that will likely double the already difficult task of breaking down a stubborn Northampton side. Aidy Boothroyd's sides are usually set up to be difficult to play against but it's one of those games where it's important to keep the ball on the floor because we won't be able to compete with them in the air. This was the approach we took for the Cobblers' last visit last November and it worked well, but we allowed ourselves to be dragged into a battle at Sixfields in the snow and came out on the wrong side side of a 1-0 scoreline.

From the Vaults

Oxford United v Northampton Town, 2^nd December 1995

Oxford were looking for a quick recovery following a 2-1 defeat to Colchester in the Auto Windscreens during the week when Northampton came to town for an FA Cup second round tie. The Third Division side came to the Manor with high hopes of causing an upset but after Stuart Massey opened the scoring it turned out to be a straightforward victory for Denis Smith's men with Paul Moody striking late on to make it safe.

You can find this and many other old OUFC matches in the VIDEO VAULT!

Also This Weekend

The youth team look to follow up their 7-1 thrashing of Swindon a fortnight ago with a trip to the Youth Alliance South West division leaders Cheltenham Town this weekend. It's a tough fixture but after scoring 12 goals in their last two games, somehow I think they won't be too daunted.

The women's development squad are also coming into this weekend on the back of a 7-1 result – a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal in their opening WSL Development League match last week. Ordinarily if you lose 7-1 in your first match you find yourself bottom of the table, but fortunately Watford (8-1 v Reading) and Yeovil (7-0 v Millwall) had even more calamitous results. And it's the Glovers who we take on next as the girls travel to Somerset for a Development League Cup match.

Don't forget you can find full fixture lists for women's, development and youth teams on our Fixtures page!

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League Two Preview 2013-14

With the new season fast approaching most of the transfer business throughout the Football League should now be done and dusted. We all have a good idea of the comings and goings in the Oxford United squad but how do we fare when it comes to the other clubs in the league? If you are anything like me you will have seen the odd piece of transfer news but don't really know what has gone on during the summer at the other clubs in our division (old and new).

At a glance, there are two teams whose transfer activity really stands out - for very different reasons! Plymouth have brought in eleven new players, while Hartlepool have added just one. This in itself sends out a message to each of the other League Two clubs. Plymouth are obviously looking to make a serious push for promotion and reclaim their place in the third tier of English football at the third time of asking. Hartlepool, on the other hand, are either very content with the squad they already have or are financially in a tight situation. In contrast to their one signing they have let eight players go from last season either via the transfer market or due to contracts not being renewed. This leaves them needing to sign seven players just to make up the shortfall from last season's relegated League One squad. Of course, in the end it makes no difference how many players you do or don't sign, if the results don't come on the pitch during that 90 minutes it's going to be very long and and stressful season!

Out of all the signings that have been made by all the clubs there are a few that stand out as those marquee signings and a couple that will have that 'one to watch' tag attached to them.

Rory Delap
Ex-Republic Of Ireland international Delap has joined Burton on a one-year deal from Stoke after being released. He is predominantly a midfield player but can also ply his trade in defence and is famous for his long throws, having been touted to represent Ireland at the Olympics after these throw-ins were noticed during Stoke's promotion winning season. He is known for his fitness and work-rate during games and is sure to be one of those calming influences in the centre of the park. Able to break up play and and hold the ball up well he will be a valuable asset to Burton, who just failed to make the promotion grade last season.

Gary Deegan

Gary Deegan has enjoyed football at clubs such as Bohemians, Coventry and Hibernian. He is another midfield player with real quality who was a fans' favourite at Hibs. He joins Northampton Town on a one year deal after a successful trial period and will be looking to help the Cobblers recreate the successful season they had last time around after narrowly missing out on promotion to League One in the play-off final.


Richard Cresswell

Cresswell is another one of the old and bold in the league this season. He was pivotal in helping York avoid relegation towards the back end of last season, scoring twice in five appearances. A forward having played a lot of his career at Premier League and Championship teams such as Leicester, Preston, Leeds and most noticeably Stoke with Delap he will add a wealth of experience to a York side who struggled last season.



Sander Puri (One to watch)
25-year-old Sander is a relative unknown in the world of English football having played the majority of his football abroad  so far. The Estonian international who has 52 senior caps to his name started his professional career at the age of 19 at one of Estonia's biggest clubs, FC Levadia Tallinn. He was close to signing with German Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund twice in 2008 and Scottish Premier League club Celtic in 2009. The winger subsequently went on to sign for fellow SPL club St. Mirren in March 2013 until the end of the season before signing for York City on a two year contract in June.

Predicting the outcome of the season is always a tricky one to call, but I think the likes of Northampton, Burton, and Cheltenham know what it takes to reach that play off position and with them all strengthening their squads it would surprise me if they didn't have a good season again. From the four teams that have come down from League One I'm expecting Portsmouth to have a half-decent season (as much as it pains me to say it!). I also think Scunthorpe were unlucky not to avoid the drop last year and with them adding nine new faces to the squad they already have they will have a good season.

As we all know though our league is a tough one. The teams that have came down shouldn't think they will go straight back up and that they will 'walk' the league. The two newcomers from the Conference will have a difficult time cementing the place they have earned. Newport have added some familiar faces with Football League knowledge to their team sheet and Mansfield have been there and done it and know exactly what is required by a Football League team. Both will work hard I'm sure, but sometimes it takes more than blood, sweat and tears, sometimes you need a little bit of good old lady luck!

For those interested you can find all the coming and goings within the league here. It's fairly comprehensive but it doesn't take into account youngsters who have turned pro - they will ultimately add something to the team if played.

Follow @andywilmer

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-1 Northampton Town

This match had everything that we have been missing lately: exciting football, a positive result, and an excellent atmosphere. The mood in the two camps could hardly have been more different going into this game, Northampton – unbeaten in five before this match – fancied their chances, while Oxford had failed to win in four and were forced to field a much changed side.

Ultimate Support Saturday

As the season has lurched from one disappointment to the next the mood amongst the fans has changed from alarm, to disgruntlement, and eventually to a state of apathy which has seen average attendances fall below 6,000 for the first time since we returned to the Football League. The expectation of success that has been an ever-present ever since Chris Wilder initially reversed the club's fortunes has dissipated quickly this season and with Oxford being one of the most expensive clubs to follow in League Two, can we really blame those thousands for staying away when the product on offer is so poor?

What the Stats Say...Northampton

Strugglers Northampton Town are the next visitors to the Kassam, and with new manager Aidy Boothroyd at the helm they may be confident of getting a result against an out of form Us side. However, as Matt Peck reveals, the stats show that they will have a tough task on their hands, as Oxford seek to banish memories of our last home match, which ended in defeat to Cheltenham Town.

Northampton's Loss is Oxford's Gain

This won't be popular among a certain (small but very vocal) section of our fanbase, but I'm going to praise Chris Wilder. With the recent run of poor results he's come in for a lot of criticism, and though some of it was justified, some amounted to little more than a vindictive personal attack on the man. Wilder is rightly criticised for what appears to be a scattergun approach to signings, and while some of the big name signings from the summer have so far been disappointing, in the interest of balance we should remember that some of Wilder's unheralded signings have proven to be unexpected stars.

2011-12 League Two Season Preview (Part 1)

The new season will soon be upon us and so it's time to take a look at how clubs will be lining up in a few weeks time. Despite being something of a fallow period for us fans while no matches are being played, this period between the end of one season and the beginning of another can actually be an incredibly busy one for football clubs. Within the flurry of transfer activity around over the past weeks some clubs have been spending big whilst others are cutting back, some looking to make minor improvements while others rebuild from scratch, and while some clubs grab headlines others go about their business quietly. So who looks set to challenge and who is in for a season of struggle?